Hooked
by AineQueenOfTheBritons
Summary: A Peter Pan FanFic. Kathy is the Darlings' babysitter. The children's adventures are turned upside down when she comes along for the ride. A Captain Hook fantasy based on the 2003 film with Jason Isaacs.
1. Chapter 1

The wind bit at Kathy's face as she strode down the crowded London street. She stopped at a tall row house and drew her shawl tighter around her as she ascended the stairs. Before she could knock on the front door, it swung open.

On the other side stood the dapper Mr. Darling. He was well-dressed though his formal attire was a bit too tight. He looked relieved to see her.

"Ah! Kathy, how good of you to come over at such short notice," He said as he ushered her inside.

"Oh, it's no problem, really, Mr. Darling. I'm always happy to watch the children."

"My, you've certainly grown into a beautiful young woman. How old are you now? 18?"

"19."

"Has it been that long? It seems only yesterday you were the five-year-old flower girl at our wedding." His blue eyes twinkled and Kathy could not help but feel a pang in her stomach. In recent years, conversation with her old family friend had become awkward. As a woman, she could not help but find the elegant man enchanting. But as an "old," married man of high moral fiber, she knew her feelings would never be reciprocated.

"Kathy, dear!" she spun to see Mrs. Darling come into the foyer from the drawing room. "Thank you so much for watching the children tonight. They're all upstairs getting ready for bed. I know they'll be so glad to see you. We haven't told them you were coming; they still think Aunt Millicent is going to watch them."

"My dear," said Mr. Darling, "I'm afraid we must be going now." He turned to Kathy, winking "Try not to keep them up too late, Cat."

"Well, I make no promises," she said jokingly "Enjoy yourselves at the ball!"

After a final embrace from Mrs. Darling, Kathy watched them go and then proceeded up the stairs. With each tread, the playful sounds of the children became louder until Wendy's musical voice could be distinguished from the commotion. Kathy stopped just outside the nursery door to listen.

"Tell us about Captain Hook again, Wendy," pleaded John.

"_Again?_ Didn't I tell you about Hook last night _and_ the night before?"

"Yes, but we want to hear about him again. Start with his eyes."

"Oh, all right" Wendy paused to clear her throat. "His eyes are as blue as forget-me-nots until he guts you when his eyes turn red." The room then erupted into childhood laughter and screams as Wendy undoubtedly had begun to chase the younger two around the room. Kathy took this as her cue and knocked on the door as solemnly as possible. The children instantly fell silent.

Kathy opened the door to find the children sitting on their beds as if they had been there for several minutes. John lay reclined, "reading" an upside-down book while Michael sat on the bed next to him cleaning his mock gun. Wendy was engrossed in mending the seam of a shirt. All three pairs of eyes were decidedly averted from the door for fear of their "aunt's" wrath.

"Aren't you going to give your dear auntie a hug?"

At this, the children's heads snapped up with mouths agape. "Kathy!" they cried in unison and rushed towards her.

She was immediately met with a barrage of questions.

"Where's Aunt Millicent?"

"Why haven't you come to play with us lately?"

"Won't you tell us a story?"

"Calm down, you three!" said Kathy breathlessly "One at a time. Go back and sit on your beds and I'll answer you."

Once they were all settled down again she explained that their aunt had caught a cold and could not watch them. Mr. Darling had sent word to her father via the newly invented telephone and sent for her. And, as she had had little to do that evening, she had obliged.

"But why haven't you been to see us?" asked Wendy.

"There comes a time in every girl's life when she has to grow up. As an adult, I can't play with you like I used to. I have responsibilities now."

"But you're not grown up yet, Kathy," Michael reasoned "You're not married with children like our mother."

Kathy looked down at the mention of marriage. She sighed "No, I'm not married, but that does not mean that I do not have adult responsibilities. I'm not the care free girl I used to be; in the world's eye, I be a spinster before too long. Growing up is not as bad as you three would like to believe. What scares me is growing up only to become an old maid."

John and Michael did not seem to understand or care about what she meant. Wendy however, understood perfectly. She had just been "thrown" into her womanhood herself. But what she couldn't see was why Kathy liked growing up, it seemed too unnatural. She tried to ease her friend's fears nonetheless.

"What about your old friends from school? I thought you would be courting one of those boys, surely. They liked you well enough."

"Well, I thought about courting William Hatchet, but he's just a boy."

"Of course he's a boy!" declared Wendy. What else could he be?

"What I mean is: he's not a man. I don't need a boy; he must be more than that." Wendy gave her a puzzled look.

"Oh, never mind." Kathy changed the subject. "Who was that 'Hook' fellow you were speaking of before I so rudely interrupted?"

At this, the boys rejoined the conversation. "Oh, yes, go on, Wendy. Finish it!"

Wendy looked up shyly at Kathy. She had been the first to introduce her to the craft of storytelling. Wendy's tales were nothing compared to the ones Kathy used to weave.

"Captain James Hook is the most fearsome pirate to ever stalk the seven seas. In place of a right hand, he sports a silver hook. His eyes are as blue as forget-me-nots until he guts you and his eyes turn red!" She finished he description and waited for her mentor's approval.

"Nicely done, Wendy. I dare say, he sounds rather dashing." Indeed, Kathy could not help but think of Mr. Darling at the mention of blue eyes, but she pushed him from her mind.

"Dashing? _Dashing_? How could you ever say such a thing? He's vile, evil! The last man you would ever want to meet." Wendy was outraged, as were her brothers.

Kathy sighed. Perhaps she was too old for these games. Her adult hormones would only get in the way. Just then, the hall clock struck nine.

"Time for you all to go to bed."

John gave her a most reproachful look. "At least tell us one of you stories."

"Not tonight. I think we're all too tired for one of my old stories." _Besides_, she thought, _I don't think I can tell them a children's story without making it too mature._

She tucked them in and went to the door.

"Good night, Kathy!"

"Good night."

Kathy spent the next hour trying to concentrate on reading a book. After realizing she had read the same line ten times, she gave up. Her conversation with Wendy had opened a wound she most desperately wanted to forget. In her frustration, she began to pace the room.

She had never had many suitors. William was as close as she ever got. Everyone had agreed that he was a fine match for her. He was quite handsome and would be attending law school in the fall. She certainly got along with him, but she could never see him as anything more than the brother she never had.

The boy had no experience in with the world. He saw life as so many do: you're born, you do what the world tells you to do, and then you die. Kathy saw it as a time to explore and create. She was not ready to settle down and fall into the mundane. Besides, they didn't love each other. He had even admitted that he did not love her. "Love will grow" he said. But this was not what she wanted. Her parent' marriage and the Darlings' marriage had both been made out of convenience. Indeed, a love had grown in each, but they were loves of friendship rather than passion.

For Kathy, passion was absolute. She wanted a man who loved her because she was Kathy and not just because she was another pretty face.

She quit pacing and gazed into the mirror. Did she even have a pretty face? She supposed so, although she knew she could not be an accurate judge of herself. She had all the qualities often associated with beauty. She had glossy brown curls that fell to the middle of her back and framed her oval face. Though of a plain brown, her eyes never failed to sparkle. Her other facial features were all well proportioned as were her breasts and hips. She supposed she could be striking, if she wore more tantalizing frocks of the latest fashions, but she had always preferred her simple, unassuming look.

Stepping back, she wouldn't change a thing. But her "beauty" only furthered her confusion. Why was it that the only men who ever gave her a second glance were nothing more than self-conscious boys, barely out of puberty?

Her trance was broken by Nana. The dog had begun to bark incessantly. As she became aware of her surroundings again, she noticed the giggling of children issuing from upstairs. If it wasn't as late as it was, she might have let it be, but even she knew better than to let them stay up past ten o'clock. She charged up the stairs and opened the nursery door without hesitation.

What she saw would have convinced any adult of her madness. But Kathy's imaginitive mind did not doubt her sanity for a second for she was still a girl in many ways.


	2. Chapter 2

The children were on the ceiling.

All Kathy could do was stand in the doorway, mouth agape for they were literally bouncing off the walls! As she stared, she realized another impossible fact: there were four children floating around in the room.

They extra body was that of a very improperly dressed boy close in age to Wendy. He wore nothing more than a pair of weathered britches adorned with scattered leaves. His face held a curious yet smug expression.

Kathy disliked him instantly.

She finally found her voice "Who is this elf child? You three have some explaining to do!"

Wendy came back to the ground "This is Peter Pan. He's going to take us to Neverland! You're more than welcome to join us, Kathy."

"Neverland? That fantasy place you made up? That's where you used to set all your stories in the old days."

"Yes," said Wendy pensively "I suppose it is my Neverland. Please come with us!"

Before Kathy could respond, Peter interjected "You can't let a pirate come with us!"

"She's not a pirate, Peter," said Wendy.

"All grown-ups are pirates," replied Peter darkly.

"Well, who says she's a grown-up? Would a grown-up have stayed this long to even consider that Neverland could be real?"

Peter put his hands on his hips "No, but even if she's not a pirate, there's no way she can think of anything happy enough to fly."

"We won't know that unless we let her try, will we, Peter?" Wendy gave him a daring look.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said. He flew up and grabbed what Kathy assumed was a fairy of some sort. Noticing her bewildered expression, he explained "This is Tink. She's a pixie." Any thoughts of doubt were gone. Despite being a reasonably rational person, Kathy found herself believing the impossible.

Peter flew above her head and shook the pixie dust onto her. "Just close your eyes and think happy thoughts."

Kathy could not help but laugh to herself at the phrase "happy thoughts;" it was all too cheesy. But against her better judgment, Kathy obeyed. Nothing came to her at first. Then she remembered Wendy's story from an hour before. She imagined a pirate captain at the helm of his ship. She saw his eyes and smiled. They matched the color of the sea behind him.

"You're doing it!" came Michael's voice.

"What?" She opened her eyes. Indeed, her feet had left the ground.

"What was your happy thought?" the children wanted to know.

She hesitated "Um, kittens." She prayed Peter was as bad a human lie detector as the other children were. Luckily, none of them said a word.

She was soon zipping around the room with John and Michael. But Peter soon interrupted them. "She still can't come. What use is she? She can't tell stories like you can, Wendy."

"Of course she can. She taught me everything I know. Since I'm going to be the mother, can't she be the grandmother?"

Peter snorted and shook his head "She's too young to be a grandmother."

"Well, I'm too young to be a mother. Come on, we need someone to spoil the children."

Peter knew he had lost the argument "I guess she can come if she wants." They all turned to Kathy.

She pretended to think it over even though she knew what her answer would be long before. "Are there pirates?"

Peter looked confused. Why would she care about that? "Yeah, of course there are."

"Then, I'll come!"

"Whoopee!" cried Michael and John as they flew out the window. Kathy followed them and took in the city skyline for what she secretly hoped would be the last time.

Big Ben chimed 10:30 as she flew past it. She wondered if she would miss the old clock. She doubted it; she had always hated clocks. They symbolized schedules and the unstoppable progression of time. Their very ticking made her cringe. She remembered that Wendy had mentioned that clocks were scarce in Neverland thought she could not remember why. She hoped it were true.

Soon, they were out among the stars. After Peter's instruction, they all linked together. Fortunately Kathy processed a strong stomach because the next few minutes were a trial. They had reached a wormhole of sorts. Kathy had foolishly worn her shall for their flight and within seconds it was blown away. Just as she began to wonder just how much more she could take, they reached the end of it.

The pitch black void gave way to a turquoise sea which seemed to go on indefinitely in every direction. Directly below them was an oddly shaped island with a crescent bay and a single tall mountain.

"Is that Neverland?" Kathy asked.

"Yep," replied Peter as he casually reclined on a cloud. "And there's your pirates." He pointed towards the bay. Sure enough, there lay a grand pirate galleon. She was a beautiful ship.

They took turns using Peter's telescope. When it was Kathy's turn, one pirate in particular caught her eye. But it was not his mess of curly hair, nor was it his striking black jacket that held her attention. It was his absent right hand. As she watched Hook, he took his own telescope and aimed it at their cloud. His lens scanned the children and rested on Peter. Kathy felt a jolt in her stomach that was not unpleasant as she saw Hook's lips curl in scorn at the sight of the boy. His smirk continued as he passed Wendy and her brothers until he reached Kathy. He lowered the lens and cocked his head. His sneer turned into a full grin. Even at such a distance, Kathy could see his blue eyes dilate. She thought his unyielding gaze would have made her feel uneasy but it only served to deepen her curiosity.

Peter watched her observing the captain and was immediately suspicious. She smiled too much at the sight of pirates. The further away he kept Grandma away from Hook, the better.

Without warning, the air was pierced with the sound of cannon fire. As the cloud they laid on was bombarded by enemy fire, Kathy and the others were thrown in every direction. Peter flew down to the ship, but in doing so, he left them defenseless.

Wendy and Kathy were flung from the cloud towards Neverland. They were just regaining their bearings midair when they were met with a sudden shower of arrows. Kathy dodged them the best she could and escaped unscathed. Wendy was not so lucky. In the confusion, it took Kathy a minute to realize Wendy was no longer beside her.

Kathy wasted no time and immediately took off after her, but Wendy was already half way to the ground and by the time Kathy reached the jungle floor, Wendy had landed and was surrounded by several savage-looking boys. They had clearly been the ones who shot Wendy out of the sky. Peter landed just as Kathy did and was about to take his fury out on the boy the others called Tootles. Kathy walked over to stand between Peter and his victim. "I don't think he meant it Peter. And look!" she pointed to Wendy "she's breathing."

It was then revealed that Peter's "kiss" had saved her and that Tinkerbell had been the perpetrator of Wendy's near assassination. Peter and the Lost Boys then proceeded to construct Wendy's house. But there was no mention of a house for Kathy.

"Will I be sharing the house with Wendy or is there room in your tree fort for me?" she asked Peter.

He had completely forgotten "Who are you again?"

Kathy let out a loud sigh "I'm Kathy, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, you're 'Grandma,'" Peter obviously did not want to be bothered "You can share the house with Wendy, I guess."

Wendy regained consciousness a few hours later. She was glad to see Kathy by her side when she awoke, but she could not help but notice something was missing. "Where is John and Michael?"

Kathy had been worried about the boys too "I have no idea. They must have fallen too and landed on another part of the island. We should ask Peter to help us look for them."

They stepped outside to find six Lost Boys on their knees. "Wendy Lady, Kathy Lady, please be our mother!"

"And grandmother!" added two of the boys who appeared to be twins.

Kathy pulled her hair behind her ears "I'm afraid we have no experience."

"Do you tell stories?"

"Yes," Wendy replied.

"Then you're perfect!"

The girls looked at each other before Kathy spoke for them both "Well, we'll do our best."

The boys led them blindfolded to a large tree. After opening a secret entrance, Kathy and Wendy entered and slid down a shoot into a large subterranean chamber. There they found Peter seated on his own little throne. After a few minutes of discussing what punishment the naughty Lost Boys deserved, Wendy remembered her missing brothers. Knowing it would please Wendy, Peter suggested that they ask the mermaids where they were.

Kathy was eager to see some action. She was preparing to go when Peter decided to crush her excitement.

"Grandmothers don't go on adventures. Grandmothers stay home and watch the children," Peter crossed his arms to emphasize his point. In truth, his reasons for forbidding her to join them had nothing to do with grandmothers. They would have to confront Hook to save John and Michael. Peter did not know why, but he knew that if Kathy were to meet the pirate, it would mean the end of life as he knew it.

Kathy looked to Wendy for support "Peter has a point, Kathy," said Wendy "It would be no fun for you anyway."

After they left, Kathy walked over to a crudely carved chair and sat down. She closed her eyes and imagined what fun Wendy would be having. She decided that this would be the last time Peter would tell her what to do. _If he doesn't want me on his adventures, I'll just have to make my own. _


	3. Chapter 3

Peter and Wendy's rescue attempt was successful. And while Kathy was relieved that Michael, John, and Wendy were safe, she could not help but be secretly disappointed that Peter had made it back in one piece.

After they had returned, that little imp proceeded to brag about his whole adventure to the Lost Boys. "And then, I called Hook a codfish!" he said and paused to give his cronies time to laugh. Her initial impression of him was confirmed: he was an arrogant git. She wanted to wipe that silly, crooked smile off his face.

During the day's adventure, the children had also managed to save the Indian princess Tiger Lilly. As a sign of gratitude, the chief invited Peter and all his friends to a pow-wow. Kathy found it exceedingly dull. All they did was sit around, smoking a pipe. When it was offered to her, she graciously declined saying she could not because she had a weak chest. In truth, she found it dreadfully unlady-like. Besides, they were all sharing the same pipe. Who knew what diseases these indigenous people carried?

She politely left the gathering to take a walk by herself; she was not a party person. As she wandered around she could feel the unmistakable sensation of being watched, but she only saw or heard fairies. For half a second, she could have sworn she saw a lantern swinging between the trees, but decided it was nothing more than another pixie.

She could hear Wendy's voice up ahead in a clearing. Kathy parted the leaves of an obtrusive shrub to have a look. There was Wendy and Peter dancing midair among the fairies. The pair literally sparkled in the twilight. Kathy could not help but notice that Pan was almost as feminine as Wendy. And wrinkled her nose in disdain. What did Wendy see in the boy?

It was growing darker by the minute and Kathy did not feel like waiting for Peter to escort them back. It was not that far to the soft bed of leaves in the house she shared with Wendy. Of course, there was only enough room for one of them to sleep in it at a time so they had decided to switch off every other night. Luckily for Kathy, it was her night. She was not in any mood to sleep in one of the extra cots with the Lost Boys.

Kathy was an excellent navigator and found her way back quite easily.

Sleep did not come to her instantly. It was not that she was not tired; she just could not turn her mind off. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about pirates or flying. She tried not to think about Indians or fairies or mermaids, but the more she tried, the more she thought about them. Finally, she resolved to stare at the ceiling. To their credit, the boys had done a fine job on the house, besides making it too small. She finally began to drift off when she remembered her parents. It was the first time she had thought about them since coming to Neverland. She was already beginning to forget the color of her mother's eyes.

A jolt woke her up in the middle off the night. "Lost Boys!" she called, assuming they were rocking the house because they thought it was funny "Is that any way to treat your dear old grandmother?" She listened for an explanation but heard none. The only sound was that of the sea and the creaking of wood. But their secret base was nowhere near the sea, at least not near enough to hear it.

Kathy had a good idea of where she was before she opened the door. The salty air gave it away.

She opened the door and her suspicions were confirmed. She and the house had somehow been transported onto _The Jolly Roger_. Most girls would have been terrified, but Kathy had never been so excited in her entire life.

The night sky was still at its darkest and the moon shone over the water off port side. Over the wind, Kathy could hear the eerie chords of a pianoforte accompanied by a strong male voice. She followed the melody towards a door at the front of the ship. It continued to lead her inside to another door from which music seemed to issue. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the sign at the front of the door: "Captn. Jas. Hook."

A short white-haired pirate opened the door. Inside were the lavishly appointed captain's quarters. Directly in front of her was the pianoforte and on its stool sat the man.

He was everything she imagined he would be.

He finished his pirate ditty with an arpeggio with his hook. "Wendy Darling," he purred, holding up his hook for dramatic effect. Upon seeing that it was not Wendy, his hooked arm dropped as did his smug expression. His eyes narrowed as he turned towards the pirate who had opened the door.

"What is the meaning of this, Mister Smee? Did you not instruct the men to bring me the _girl_?" Hook rapped the fingers of his good hand impatiently on the keys.

"Of course, Captain," said Smee.

"Then where is she? I said 'Bring me thegirl,' not 'bring me the woman!'" Hook had risen and Kathy could not help but inwardly giggle as his murderous eyes turned red. She was shocked, but not at Hook's brutal temper. To grown men, she was always "girl." He was the first to ever call her "woman."

"Don't worry, Captain. The men made a mistake; it was a bit dark out, after all. That pixie devil must have thought the younger one was in the house. They'll fix it in a jiffy! I'll just have them take the lady back and-"

"No, you great fool!" the captain rolled his eyes "She may be willing to divulge important information, if properly motivated. Serve the refreshments!" he then turned to Kathy and gestured towards the dining table "Shall we?"

Kathy sat down and Hook pushed in her chair with surprising dexterity, considering he could only use his left hand. He took his seat across from her and surveyed the vast array of goodies before them. To his delight, Smee had prepared his favorite dessert for the evening: chocolate covered strawberries. He took one and before putting it in his mouth said "I suppose I should start with asking your name." She watched him as he closed his eyes to savor the chocolate, holding the strawberry in his mouth with his thumb and index fingers.

"My name is Katherine Linton. Most people call me Kathy or sometimes Cat." Although, Mr. Darling was really the only person who ever called her Cat.

"Miss Linton will do. It is 'miss,' is it not?"

"Yes, it is." Kathy did not know what to make of his sly expression.

Smee offered her some Muscat which she almost rejected out of habit. Her parents had raised her to think it unseemly for a woman to drink, but she would not feel like a pirate if she was not drinking something. "I'll have a drop, thank you." Hook looked surprised she had accepted it; she did not seem the type who would drink, but he said nothing.

"What exactly is your relationship with Pan, anyway? I hope you are not infatuated with that boy like Wendy is."

"Certainly not!" Kathy said, slightly insulted at the notion. Hook was more than pleased to see how indignant she was. "Peter means nothing to me; he's brought me nothing but trouble. I'm an old friend of Wendy's family, you see. I only put up with Peter for her sake and because he was the only way out of my former life."

Hook took a delicate sip from his nautilus-shaped goblet "I am most dreadfully sorry that you had to endure that boy's senseless company. I pity your young friend Wendy. He cannot love. It's part of the riddle of his being. She has no hope of ever having her affections returned." He took another sip and found himself gazing at the young woman from across the table, his eyes moving up and down. Sighing, he shook his head and returned to the task at hand. "We will return you this very night whether or not you chose to betray that bloody Pan. This isn't your battle; I would never dream of forcing you to tell me more than you wish to."

Kathy was initially inclined to keep quiet. As much as she disliked Peter, betraying him would mean betraying Wendy and her brothers. But as she looked at Hook and the beautiful ship, she knew she could not resist. Suddenly, the muscat gave her an idea, but it would take a bit of leverage. "I'll do it."

"Excellent! Smee, get some paper and a quill. I want to take notes!"

"But," Kathy interrupted "you needn't worry about taking me back. I won't be going."

Hook's brows furrowed "How do you mean?"

"I'll tell you anything you want to know under one condition: I want a spot on your crew."

The two pirates laughed "Surely, you can not be serious," Hook said.

"Of course I am. I have no intention of going back to Pan, and I am certainly not going back to London."

It was not as if he disliked Kathy. Indeed, he believed she would make a wonderful pirate. But he and his crew were not used to having a woman aboard and his men could be volatile at times. She had no idea what she was getting herself into. "If I let you stay," he said "I could not guarantee your safety."

She nodded her head "I understand. If anything should happen, I would not hold you responsible. Besides, I need a little danger."

Hook smiled at her naïve sense of adventure. He admired that in a young recruit. "You can stay," he hoped he would not regret his decision "if you teach me to fly like Pan." Flight was the boy's one advantage against him, besides his youth.

"If you would like, I can try, but I make no promises."

"Fair enough. Welcome aboard, Miss Linton. Smee will escort you to your quarters."

Smee brought her down the hall to a small stateroom. There were few pieces of furniture in the room with two small portholes to let in light. It was better decorated than Kathy expected, but not as lavish as the captain's suite. "How long has this room been unoccupied?" she asked, noticing it was covered in dust and cobwebs.

He shrugged "I good while, miss, ever since-" he stopped.

"Ever since what?"

"Nothing. Good night!" Smee left Kathy alone in the silence with the distinct feeling that he was hiding something.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Kathy found a note on her bedside table. For such a short message, it was rather elegant. It was written on aged parchment and sealed with wax skull and crossbones. Hook's curling script was not at all foppish as someone like Peter would say. Kathy saw it as the art of a well-bred gentleman.

_Dear Miss Linton,__  
Please come to my quarters at your earliest convenience. There is much I would like to discuss with you.__  
Sincerely,  
Capt. Jas. Hook_

Kathy looked around her cabin for the first time in day light. Along the wall opposite the bed was a second door which she assumed was a closet. She tried the knob and it hardly budged. It would take some force to get it open, but Kathy was not curious enough to bother with it. Next to the jammed door was a low table where a tray of food had been placed, most likely by Smee. It was a simple breakfast of eggs and a small biscuit. She had not eaten much the night before while talking to Hook, and Peter had only given her child-sized proportions of what she considered play food.

After eating, she continued looking around. On the far exterior wall where the windows were, there was a quaint dressing table. To Kathy's disappointment, there were no personal items of the room's former inhabitant except for a small mirror, a comb, and a bowl and pitcher which gave no clues as to their former owner. She looked in the mirror and found the sight rather ghastly. The comb helped a bit, but she could do nothing about her dirty face without water. Naturally, the pitcher was empty. She assumed that there must be a place where they have fresh water on the ship and she decided to look for it.

Porcelain pitcher in hand, Kathy walked down the hall towards the smell of cooking. Surely, the galley kitchen would have water. She passed the crew's dining hall where many of the pirates were assembled. All conversation ceased when they saw her. They had heard of the mistake with her and Wendy and wanted to see Kathy for themselves. It had been ages since any of them had seen a woman. Their gaze made her uncomfortable and she passed into the kitchen quickly.

The man on kitchen duty was friendly enough and gave her the water and a small cloth to clean herself with. As he filled the pitcher, Kathy looked around the kitchen. It was a little filthier than she had imagined, but it was not bad enough to make her never eat one of its meals again.

On her way back to the cabin, she made sure to pass the mess hall as quickly as possible. When she was halfway down the hall, she had the feeling she was being followed. When she stopped, she heard nothing and blamed her paranoia on the slight rolling movement of the ship. It could be a bit disorientating. When she returned to her cabin, she turned to lock the door as a precaution, but the lock appeared to be broken. She shrugged it off and proceeded to pour the water into the wash basin.

Her back was to the door when she heard it open and close. At first, she blamed the sound on the crashing waves outside. Indeed, they made it almost impossible to hear anything. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of rustling fabric. Someone was in the cabin with her. She felt the pin that held her hair in place and took it out, her brown hair cascading around her. Instead of putting it down on the table, she kept it concealed in her fist. Carefully, as not to excite whoever it was, Kathy lifted the hand mirror to peak behind her.

It was Noodler with his hands on backwards. He did not move at first but simply stared at her. Kathy turned to face him and said "The Captain would not be happy if he knew you were here, would he?"

Noodler shrugged "'Spouse not. But how can he expect us to sit around while he has all the fun, eh? It ain't fair for him to keep you all to himself."

It all happened in a flash. Before Kathy knew what had happened, he had her by the throat, but his backwards hands made it easy for her to wiggle out of his grasp. He clumsily lunged at her, knocking her into the dressing table. The clatter of breaking porcelain and glass could be heard throughout that level of the ship.

His face was hardly an inch from hers. He smelled horrible. "Come on, girlie, give us a kiss."

"I don't think so." Kathy freed her hand which concealed the hair pin. Noodler saw it coming but was too slow to act and she stabbed him in the eye. He fell on the floor, trying to hold his face with his misshapen hands.

The door swung open and in walked Hook with his pistol raised. He saw the pin in her hand and smiled. "Well, I see you handled that well, Miss Linton" he said, lowering the gun. He turned to Smee and a few other pirates behind him. "Lock him in the brig. I will make an example of him later. Don't bother treating his eye; he won't need it for long. And Mister Smee, fix the lock on this door." He sneered as they took Noodler away before turning his attention back to Kathy.

"I will make the arrangements for you to return to London tomorrow."

"That will not be necessary. I am part of your crew now. I knew very well what would happen and I have no regrets. Does that mean what happened just now didn't frighten me? Of course not. As I promised, I do not blame you for what happened. All I want is to prove myself."

Hook sighed. "I can see it is useless arguing with you. But I am warning you. I once new a young-" he paused "person, very much like you, who wanted to prove their worth as a pirate. Do not wish it." He reached into his coat and pulled out a small dirk. "But if you insist, promise me you will keep this in your boot."

Hook walked over to her bed and sat down. "Sit down," he said and patted the feather mattress. Kathy hesitated. Sitting so close to a man like that seemed far too awkward and improper. "Now, don't be shy." Against her better judgment, Kathy sat down, as far from him as possible. But Hook scooted closer.

"If today's events have not flustered you too much," he said "I was hoping we could start my 'flying lessons.'" He rolled his eyes at phrase.

Kathy could feel herself sweating. "Yes, well, um," she tried to pretend like he was not staring at her. "First, you are going to need pixie dust."

He laughed. "I beg your pardon?"

"Pixie dust." She shrugged "You just shake it over your head."

Hook was not convinced. "Is that all?"

"Well, no, you have to think _happy thoughts."_

"Surely, you must be joking." He looked disgusted.

"I know, it's rather stupid. But it is Peter we're talking about, the boy who never grows up. You can't expect his method for flight to be based on physics."

"Yes, I suppose so. Well, I do happen to have a pixie in my quarters, a Miss Tinkerbell. I believe you two are already acquainted."

"Oh yes, but I'm afraid we started out on the wrong foot."

"Judging by my limited experience with her, I doubt it is anything personal. Pan seems to be the only human she tolerates, if you can call him human."

Kathy followed Hook into his quarters where he showed her the glass case he kept the pixie in. "I may need your help taking her out without letting her escape," he said.

With a bit of maneuvering, Hook had a firm grasp on Tink and shook her senseless. Kathy was afraid he has overdoing it, but said nothing. He finally stopped and said "Is that enough?"

She nodded. "I should think so. Now, just close your eyes and think of the happiest thing you can."

He did as she said, but nothing happened. He growled "Why isn't it working?"

"You must clear your mind of anything unpleasant. What were you thinking of?" Of course, she knew his answer before he said it.

He smiled. "Killing Peter Pan."

"You see, that's the problem!" Kathy explained "While killing him would bring you great satisfaction, thinking about anything that has to do with that boy will only make your mind heavy. Try again."

He gave it another half-hearted effort. "If you are such an expert, show me how you do it."

Kathy was slightly taken aback by his snippy attitude and lack of concentration. "All right, watch." She closed her eyes at first, but realized this was not necessary as her happy thought was standing right in front of her. She lifted herself a few feet off the ground and touched back down.

Hook noticed she did not close her eyes, but just stared at him. "What were you thinking of?"

"Kittens," she replied.

"Do not lie to me, Miss Linton" he said, crossing his arms to appear more serious than he really was.

"What makes you think I am lying?"

"You responded too quickly. Every seasoned lie detector knows that people will respond quicker when they have been rehearsing a lie in their heads." Despite his demeanor, he was not angry, merely curious. He already knew what she had been thinking anyway, it was too obvious.

"I was thinking about pirates," she said. It was the truth after all, just not in its entirety.

"Ah," he said, not wanting to press her further. "Well, thinking about pirates would obviously not work for me. Do you have any other suggestions?"

She thought for a moment. "You could try thinking about your mother."

"My mother? I had no mother." He walked to the other side of the room and took a cigar out of a large wooden box and began smoking.

Kathy was afraid she had stumbled upon a delicate subject. "Of course you had a mother."

"Well," he said between puffs. "I suppose I had one once, but I never knew who she was. I certainly never met her."

"I'm sorry, that must be difficult."

He shrugged. "Oh, I've managed. I turned out all right, haven't I?"

Kathy did not know quite what to say but just nodded her head.

For the rest of the day, Kathy tried to fill his head with happy thoughts. The closest Hook got to flight was with strawberries, but even then, he merely hovered a foot above the ground for a second. They finally decided to take a break for supper. To Kathy's pleasurable discomfort, the captain decided to spend the meal staring at her.

He cocked his head as he had done when he first saw her on the cloud. Kathy tried to ignore his gaze by concentrating on her soup but could not help but notice his pupils dilate once again. And this time, she had a pretty good idea of what that meant.

Suddenly, Hook shot out of his chair and onto the ceiling. He swore loudly as head hit the woodwork and it took him a second to realize what had happened. Again, he smiled down at her, wider than ever. "Well, Kathy, shall I tell you what I was thinking?"

She blushed. "No Captain, that won't be necessary."

He came back down and peered out the window. "I am afraid that it is getting late. Promise that you will give me the honor of having dinner with me tomorrow evening on the deck of the ship. I'll have Smee tell the kitchen to prepare something extra special."

"Yes, I would be delighted."

"Excellent!" He came back down to the floor. "Meet me at sunset, and we will dine under the stars."

Hook escorted her back to her cabin. "I see that Smee fixed the lock. No one will bother you tonight."

"Hopefully not," she said. "Good night!"

"'Till tomorrow night," he said as he closed the door.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Hook made an example out of Noodler. Kathy decided to stay below deck for the "show," and judging by the screams, she made a wise choice. The other pirates sounded like they were enjoying it though. When Smee brought her breakfast and a new pitcher of water, she asked him what Noodler's punishment was. All he said was "something long and painful." Had she been a more empathetic soul, Kathy would have felt sorry for the man. But in her mind, he deserved every bit of it.

Smee was right; the spectacle lasted for half an hour with continuous cheers and cries of pain. Kathy spent the time trying to read a book she found in the nightstand's drawer. It was a copy of Adam Smith's _The Wealth of Nations._ Whoever had her cabin before must have liked economics. Unfortunately, the noise from above was too distracting, and she did not get much reading done.

The rest of the day progressed slowly. When it finally came time for Kathy to get ready for her dinner with Hook, it felt like an eternity had passed. She looked down at her old scarlet dress and sighed. She had been wearing it since she came to Neverland days before. It was far too tattered to wear to a formal meal with a man as well-dressed as Hook. At first, she decided to ask Smee if he could find something on the ship she could adapt to suit her purpose. Then she remembered the jammed closet door.

If her suspicion was correct, the previous inhabitant of her cabin had been a woman, and with any luck, some of the lady's clothes might still be in there. Kathy tried the knob and found it just as fickle as it had been the day before. She was about to push on it with all her weight when she stopped to think about what she was doing. What if Hook was like Bluebeard who kept his bloodied victims hanging in a closet? That story had always frightened her as a child. Kathy decided to take the chance and threw herself against the door.

The hinges gave out and the entire door fell inward. Kathy slowly opened her eyes, afraid of what she would see. Fortunately, there were no bodies, just old dresses and sewing supplies. It looked like a corrosive substance had been poured over the knob and hinges to rust it shut. Someone wanted that closet to stay closed.

Whoever she was, the woman who lived there before had good taste. Of course, the style of the gowns was dated and not what Kathy was used to, but they were very well-made and in good shape. She took an emerald dress out and tried it on. It was made out of rich velvet that felt almost slippery on her skin. Kathy liked that in was plain, yet elegant. She did not want anything fancy, although she had no idea how formal the evening would be. She looked back at some of the other fancier dresses, but they all seemed gaudy compared to this one. It was a bit too long though. Kathy would have to shorten the hem. Luckily plenty of needles and thread had been left with the clothes.

She quickly got to work shortening it, and some time later, the dress fit like a glove. Other than the length, the dress had been a near perfect fit. Kathy wondered if the plunging neckline and off-the-shoulder sleeves were too revealing. She hoped so because tonight she was going persuade Hook into revealing the poorly hidden attraction he felt for her.

She had lost track of the time fooling with the dress, which is easy to do on a ship without clocks, and feared she would be late with her rendezvous with Hook. The sun was setting as she raced to set her hair with nothing more than cold water and a comb. This was no easy task, but she managed to finish before the sun completely disappeared below the horizon. She had just enough time to make it to the deck, if she did not meet any lustful buccaneers on the way.

Fortunately, Hook had given the crew extra rations of rum that evening to distract them. When she stepped into the corridor, Kathy could hear the drunks singing boisterously on the other side of the ship.

The deck had been completely transformed for the evening. The heavily-carved dining table and chairs from Hook's quarters had been placed at the stern of the ship by the helm on the quarter deck. Lobsters, clams, and other marine delicacies were laid out on gilded platters over a satin tablecloth that gently swayed in the sea breeze. His men had also carried up his pianoforte from below decks. Hook sat on the bench, thumbing through sheet music. Smee stood next to him holding a fiddle and listened as the captain gave him instructions on what to play.

Strings of lights hung above their heads from the rigging. Kathy knew there was no electricity to power them and wondered how they worked until she realized that inside the glass bulbs were pixies. Hook must have had his men go through the trouble of catching them just for her.

Hook saw her walk up the steps to the quarter deck. Unfortunately, it was too dark where she stood and he could not see her well. "My dear Kathy!" he said. "Come out of the shadows and sit down at the table. Come, let us play you a song."

Kathy was disappointed that he had not seen how beautiful she looked in the dress. She sat down and waited for him to turn and see her in the golden pixie light.

"What would you like us to play?" he asked. He still did turn to look at her.

She looked down at the dress. "Can you play 'Greensleeves?"

"Certainly," he said and they began to play.

Smee sang the lyrics so Hook could speak to Kathy. "Tonight, I refuse to talk about Pan," Hook said with his eyes concentrated on the keys as he played. "Tonight, conversation shall be restricted to us. Kathy, I know you feel the way I do."

Kathy lowered her eyes to stare at her lap and smiled to herself. Wiggling a confession out of him would be easier than she thought. As she waited for his declaration, she noticed the two pirates had stopped playing. She looked up to see that Hook had finally turned to glance at her. He was speechless as he starred at her, just not as she had hoped he would. Anger spread quickly across his face and he had turned bright white. Smee looked like he was bracing himself for an explosion.

Hook slammed the cover of the pianoforte shut and stood up violently, knocking over the bench. "Where the hell did you find that?"

It was the first time she was afraid of the captain. She did not know how to respond. "I found it in the closet in my cabin."

His eyes were a dark crimson as he turned to Smee. "You assured me that that closet had been cleared out!"

"Yes," the old man stuttered. "But, you see, I didn't have the heart to get rid of everything. I thought no one could get in it. I thought I made sure-"

"Oh, you 'thought,' did you? You never think, Smee! Go down and clear in out. _Everything_ this time! Not a scrap of fabric left!" Smee left and Hook spun around to face Kathy.

"And as for you, Miss Linton, go and change. Put that rag you came with back on if you must. It does not matter what you wear."

Kathy stayed where she was. "What have I done?"

He did not answer.

"Fine," she said, "I will change, but do not expect me to come back up here tonight. In fact, you can make arrangements for my return to London tomorrow morning. Good night, Captain."

She turned on her heel and strode back to her room. Smee had already cleared everything out. Even the economics book was gone. He must have emptied it in record time because Kathy left just after him. On the bed was her old dress. It looked even shabbier than before. She tore off the green dress and threw it out into the hallway.

Regretfully, she put her old dress back on and slumped onto the bed. She looked around the room and wondered why Hook was so sensitive about the woman who had lived there. What exactly was their relationship? He had probably liked her because she was tall and liked economics.

Kathy wanted to slap herself for being so jealous. Changing the subject, she tried to remember her old life in London and what it would be like when she returned the next day. It seemed foreign to her, like remembering someone else's memories. Those last few days on _The Jolly Roger_ had been her life. Nothing had come before.

Her mind had been wandering for an hour when she heard running outside her door. She ignored it. It was probably just some of the drunken pirates. Then she heard a crow-like cry from the deck above her. It must have been a bird, but it sounded almost childlike.

There came a loud knock on the door. Hopefully it was Smee bringing the dinner she had missed because of Hook's outburst. She was starting to feel hungry.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Hook standing there. "Come to apologize, have you?" she asked.

He ignored her question. "Pan and his entourage are here," he said, "He said something about rescuing their 'granny.'"


	6. Chapter 6

Kathy followed Hook up to the main deck of the ship. He seemed to have calmed down from his earlier tantrum, but she knew better than to ask him any of the burning personal questions she had about his past. She resigned herself to the fact that Hook would probably not betray his secrets before she left in the morning.

When they came into the open night air, Kathy was instantly hit with a tight embrace. "Kathy, you're alive!" It was Wendy.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Kathy's voice was unintentionally chilly.

Wendy was taken aback. "We've come to rescue you," she said and pulled her friend towards Peter and the Lost Boys who hovered in the air, itching for a fight with the pirates.

"I won't be coming with you, Wendy," said Kathy quietly, pulling away.

Wendy looked back at Pan for an explanation. "I knew she'd join them if she got the chance," was all he said.

She turned back to Kathy and Hook. "I still don't understand."

"Oh, it's quite simple, Miss Darling," said Hook, "Miss Linton will be returning to London in a matter of hours. You see, she's tired of this childish fantasy and would like to return to the real world. She needs no help from your lot of ruffians; she is quite content in our company." At first, this only confused Wendy more. Then Kathy moved back towards Hook, and to Wendy's disgust, he put his good hand on her shoulder. "Although," continued Hook, "I daresay she'd stay with us, if it wasn't for personal reasons."

Peter had been suspicious of Kathy's interest in pirates from the beginning. He knew her friendship with Hook grew more dangerous with each additional minute they spent together. What he failed to understand was the nature and strength of their bond. It was not part of his character to understand it.

"Hook, I challenge you to a duel," he said, after a minute of deliberation.

Hook scoffed. "A duel? Have we not fought countless duels in the course of our rivalry, boy?"

"_Yes_, a duel! Boy against codfish! Winner takes-," Peter paused to remember her name, "Kathy back home."

"Miss Linton has the right to be escorted by whomever she chooses," said Hook in a tired voice. The boy was really starting to vex his nerves.

"And I choose the pirates," said Kathy.

Peter crossed his arms. "What good would pirates be? They can't fly," he said and pointed at Hook, "He doesn't fly."

"Are you willing to bet your life on that, boy?" Hook shed his scarlet overcoat, throwing it onto the deck, and drew his rapier. He wanted nothing more than to prove that Kathy's lessons had worked. "I accept your contest."

"Then let's begin!" cried Peter as he swooped down and took a swing at Hook, missing him by inches. Kathy waited for Hook to take off after Pan, but for some inexplicable reason, both his feet stayed firmly planted on the ground. He looked at her quickly before averting his gaze. Kathy recognized the regret in his eyes. Lamentation never looked so painful.

_My God, _she though, _He's forgotten how to fly. _Whatever had upset him that evening was still filling his mind.

Peter continued his aerial assault on Hook. "Looks like you still can't fly, old man!" he taunted, "Or did you just forget you happy thought?"

"Come back down to Earth and fight me like a man, boy. You and I both know that this charade of yours is only a mask for your cowardice," Hook spat as he parried.

Peter laughed at Hooks logic and spun through the air, "Why? What is it, Hook? _Bad Form_?"

"Well, yes. In a fair fight, you can not have such an unfair advantage over your opponent."

Peter rolled his eyes as he took another swing at Hook. "Do you ever speak plain English?" He had Hook pinned against the side of the ship.

He called to the Lost Boys, "Men! I think it's time we invite an old friend over for supper, don't you? Call the Croc!"

The boys scurried off in search of the brute as Hook managed to push Peter away from him and they continued to battle. It had been clear from the beginning that Peter was winning, but Kathy still held hope. After all, no blood had been spilt yet.

Hook was still the more experienced swordsman and was not prone to the elementary mistakes Peter made. He managed to catch the boy on a downward lunge and flip him onto his back. A delicious sneer crept under his goatee.

Just as Kathy began to breathe easier, she became aware of the implications Hook's victory would have on Wendy. After all, the duel was to the death. But she could not help sharing Hook's smirk. She looked over at Wendy to see her glaring at her. She had never looked at her that way before. Kathy tried to wipe the smile from her face, but it was too late.

Wendy shook her head with tears in her eyes. "Peter was right; all grownups are pirates, including you!"

Kathy reached out her hand towards her old friend. "Wendy, try to understand-" she began, but was cut short by Peter who had begun to speak. She turned her attention back to the duel.

Hook held his sword to Peter's throat. Wendy tried to come forward, but Hook held her back with a deep snarl. "You can say your goodbyes to Peter from there, I think," said Hook.

"You know what'll happen when she goes back home, don't you?" Peter asked Hook, "She'll find a boy, a _boyfriend,_ someone her own age who can keep up with her. She'll forget you."

"That's a lie," said Hook, tightening the grip on his sword.

"Of course it's true, why would she remember a violent old man like you?"

Kathy expected Hook to lay the final blow after this remark, but instead he hesitated and looked over at her. She drew a sharp breathe as he completely turned his attention from Peter who still held his knife. She saw the boy move before Hook did.

"Captain, behind you!" but she was too late, Peter took the first blood. It was a deep abdominal wound, but not mortal. With another sweep, Peter had him disarmed and on the ground. It must have taken less than two seconds to reverse the advantage for Pan.

Kathy ran to his side, but Peter blocked her with his weapon. "_You can say_ _your_ _goodbyes to Hook from there!_" he said with childish mockery. He cupped his hand to his ear. "Hey! Do you hear ticking?"

Unfortunately, he spoke the truth. The crocodile could be heard faintly in the distance. She ignored both of them. "I'm not afraid of you, Peter," she said. She kneeled down between him and Hook, preventing Peter from giving the final blow.

"Move over, Kathy. I'll go through you if I have to.

"No, you won't. Look! You're lowering your sword as I speak." Indeed he was.

He crossed his arms, "No, you're right, I can't kill you," he knew he was losing the argument, "You have one minute."

She looked back down at Hook and his wounds. If she could only stop the bleeding, he would be fine, but he was losing blood quickly. He was beginning to have trouble staying conscious.

"Kathy," he said weakly, "Kathy, forgive me. I was such a fool tonight at dinner."

"Oh course I forgive you." She took his hand in hers and turned to Wendy to see her crying. Kathy knew she was Hook's only hope.

"Wendy, please do something," she pleaded.

"No, I-" Wendy began, but stopped herself. She looked at Kathy and then at Hook and fully realized the nature of their friendship. For all her present resentment towards Kathy, she could never wish such agony on an old friend. "Peter," she began slowly, "Let him go."

"Have you lost your mind?" Peter began to turn red.

Wendy walked over to him and held the arm holding the knife. "Can't you see? If you kill Hook, you kill both of them."

Peter still could not understand. "I won't kill her, if that's what you're worried about."

"It's not that," Wendy could not believe how thick he could be sometimes, "Just look at them."

And so he looked. He saw the nameless fear he had felt when Kathy first laid eyes Hook. Though he still did not fully understand it, or even know what it was, he somehow knew that Wendy was right about it. Their lives were somehow connected. "But I can't just let him go free," he protested.

"Yes you can," assured Wendy, "Let him drift out to sea." She pointed to a lifeboat at the back of the ship. "That way, we will never know whether he lived or died."

He gave the couple at his feet a second glance. Hook was feebly stroking her auburn hair as she held his hook in her hands. Peter thought it was disgusting, and yet, he felt more than a bit jealous. Finally, he sighed and said, "I'm only doing this for you, Wendy," He put his knife in his britches, "But I'm warning you, one day, you'll regret you made me do this."

Wendy smiled slightly, "Thank you."

He dismissed her gratitude with a wave of his hand. "Just get him in that boat before I change my mind."

Smee came forward and helped Kathy lift Hook onto his feet. After easing him into the boat, Kathy started to lower herself into it.

"Where are you going? We agreed that you'd come with us if I won," Peter called after her.

"I've decided not to go back home. I only said I wanted to go back out of anger." She knew she could never leave Hook's side.

Peter called to Smee, "You are the only one who can go with him."

"What about the other members of the crew?" Smee asked as he obediently got into the boat.

"I'll deal with them," Peter smiled and Kathy wanted nothing more than to slap him senseless.

Before she could try again to get in, Peter cut the ropes holding it onto the ship. She watched as Hook and Smee began to drift away in the dark water. Her only hope was to somehow fly to it, but she didn't know if she could after all that had happened. She closed her eyes and blocked out the others on the ship. In her mind she was in Hook's arms in some quiet, secret place. It was just enough to get her off the ground, but she knew it could not hold her for long.

She flew out over the water and looked back at Pan.

"You can't hold that thought long enough to make it to the boat," he said, "And you know, that croc's still in the water." She knew if she looked down, she would loose altitude so she kept looking forward. She could hear the ticking just below her.

"If you fall, I won't catch you!" called Pan.

Kathy continued to ignore him. She only lost her concentration once, but managed to catch herself before she came in reach of the crocodile's jaws. It was slow going and it took her a few minutes to reach the boat.

She could hear Peter cursing in the distance, instructing the Lost Boys in how they were to carry out the pirates' punishments. Wendy stood at the stern, faraway from the violence that was about to ensue behind her. It was plain to both girls that their friendship could never be salvaged.

The crocodile continued to follow them as they drifted away from the ship. Smee kept his pistol aimed at it as Kathy saw to Hook's wounds. There was little she could do in the dark. She managed to turn canvass from the bottom of the boat into improvised bandages. Their only real purpose was to help stem the bleeding. With any luck, he would make it until sunrise. But that would still be at least an hour.

When he was stable and asleep on her shoulder, Kathy turned her thoughts towards the fate of their boat as a whole.

"Smee, where are we going?" she asked the nervous pirate.

"Only the sea knows," he answered, stuttering slightly, "We're at her mercy now."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Thanks to everyone for reviewing and/or reading! **

By the time morning broke, the current was beginning to carry the boat to shore. "Where will we land, Smee?" Kathy hoped it would be somewhere she could sleep. She had been awake for a full twenty-four hours.

"Well," Smee scratched his chin, "I'd guess we're on the east side of Neverland now. If we stay on course, we should land near the Black Castle. But I'm no navigator or anything."

"Shouldn't Peter and the others have taken us further out to sea? I mean, we sort of boomeranged back."

Smee thought for a moment. "They probably should have," he shrugged, "But I'm not complaining about it."

"Me neither."

The shore grew larger as they floated along. Kathy watched it as she tried to clean Hook's injuries in the daylight. In order to make a proper bandage, she would have to remove his shirt. But Kathy was from the turn of the 20th century and the idea seemed far too indecent. But why had she become a pirate in the first place? To be improper and daring. She was an unmarried girl in a small boat with two men much older than her. She might as well complete the shocking picture. Her mother was not there to chastise her anyway.

With a quick rip she exposed his bleeding abdomen. She had never seen a naked man's chest before, unless the Greek statues at the British Museum counted. The blood made his effect on Kathy even worse; it only helped to deify him.

She wrapped a long strip of canvas around him. This required her to hold him in an awkward embrace. He was still unconscious, but judging from his sleepy smile, he was enjoying it.

When she finished, they were nearly to the shore. The foreboding castle rose before them as if from out of the sea. Kathy took to it instantly. She always liked dark, macabre places. "Who built it?" she asked Smee, "Peter only mentioned it in passing the night before I came aboard the ship."

"No one knows; it was already abandoned when we came to Neverland. You have no idea how lucky we are to have landed here, miss. Us pirates used it for storing what we didn't have room for on _The Jolly Roger_. The Captain's even got his own quarters, all set up like on the ship. If Pan hasn't raided it, there might be food."

The boat bumped the shore and Smee got out to find pieces of driftwood that they could use as oars. Then he and Kathy guided the boat under the imposing iron gate and into the belly of the castle.

Hook began to regain consciousness as they reached the large black rock to disembark. "Where the hell are we?" he asked.

"We're in the Black Castle, Captain," Smee answered.

Hook looked around and his eyes rested on Kathy. "Thank God you're here. I still wasn't sure if you had stayed on board the ship with Pan." Smee and Kathy lifted him out of the boat and began to drag him up the stairs to where their secret headquarters were located. They could hear the crocodile ticking below them. He must have followed them into the cavern below the castle.

Hook looked down in disgust. "How long has it been following us?" he asked.

Smee shifted his weight to better support Hook, "The entire time, sir."

"Pan has trained that beast too well," Hook grumbled.

It was an arduous climb to the highest tower in the castle. They were forced to stop for breath a few times, but they eventually reached the top only to find that it had been ransacked. It looked like it had held food and medical supplies at one time.

"Peter must have found it!" Kathy surmised.

"Indeed," said Hook as Smee sat him down on a broken chair, "But perhaps he did not take everything."

"What do you mean?"

"Do see that window, over there?" Hook pointed towards the opposite wall, "Press that small stone to the left."

Kathy did as he instructed. A small concealed door opened up beside him revealing a stone staircase. "How ingenious!" she exclaimed.

Hook motioned for Smee to help him back to his feet. "Why thank you, my dear," he said. She could see he was already feeling like his old self again.

She followed them up the staircase into a cozy bedroom, tucked into the rafters of the tower. It was much smaller than Hook's quarters on the ship but it had the lavish furnishings Kathy had come to expect from him.

"Smee, see if any of the smaller hiding places have any food left in them. Oh, and bring up any medicine and bandages they may have missed," said Hook after sitting on the bed.

He turned to Kathy. "You saved me," he said after Smee had left.

She looked down at her feet, "No, I didn't; Wendy did."

"But she did it because of you. It would kill Pan to see Wendy upset. It would upset Wendy to see you broken-hearted. And it would break your heart to see me killed. Am I correct?"

Kathy swallowed hard, "Yes."

He watched her silently as he had countless times before. But this time, Kathy did not avert her eyes. She studied his curling hair and curious sneer which seemed to be a permanent fixture of his face, even when he seemed pleased. She was not the least bit surprised. After all, it was the pain in life that brought Hook happiness.

His smirk widened and he finally broke the silence, "I regret to tell you that there is only one bed in this castle. When I planned to adapt this place to be a hideout in case I lost my ship, I did not think that a lady would be among us. My men would sleep on the floor, you see. If you wish, I am more than willing to forfeit my bed for your comfort."

"No," Kathy shook her head, "You're the injured one. I couldn't possibly ask you to give it up."

Hook paused before answering, unsure if he should say what he was thinking. "Well, Kathy," he said, "There is another option. You could always share my bed."

Kathy turned ghostly pale. She tried to convince herself that she had misheard him, but there was no denying what he said. "But Sir!" she cried.

Hook rolled his eyes. "Really, Kathy, it's time you called me James."

Just then, Smee returned with bandages, awkwardly interrupting what Kathy was about to say. "Captain, here's some medical supplies and I found enough food for a month or so. Should I-"

"_Mister Smee? Can't you see that I'm busy?" _Hook bellowed.

Smee saw the look on Kathy's face and understood "Uh, y-y-yes, c-c-captain. Sorry, c-c-captain. I'll just be l-l-leaving."

"Go prepare that food you found! _Now!_"

"y-y-yes, c-c-captain." Smee stuttered and quickly left the room.

Kathy began to redress Hook's large cuts using the clean bandages and antiseptic. Before he could open his mouth to continue their conversation, she changed the subject. She needed time to think about his proposition. "_James_," she said, "Did you love her?"

He hesitated before answering. "Who do you mean?" he asked laughingly.

"You know very who I mean. Who was the woman who had my cabin before me?" She feared he would lash out at her question, but he remained calm. He took a deep breath and began.

"Her name was Lydia. She negotiated a spot on my crew, just as you did. I was hesitant at first, but I needed a business partner and she was the young widow of a London merchant. She knew anything there was to know about commerce."

"Is that why there was an economics book?"

He nodded. "She was about your age, perhaps a year or two older. She was nearly as pretty as you and had similar...um...problems with the crew. But she was a tall woman, as you may have noticed. The men were too frightened of her because of it and left her alone for the most part. Like you, she wanted nothing more than to become a pirate.

"I daresay she seduced me. A week out to sea, she came to my quarters in the very dress you had been wearing. Green was always her color. My self-control was even weaker than it is today. It was like that every night until we were trapped in Neverland months later. By then I was irrevocably in love with her."

Hook stopped as if he was finished with the narrative, but Kathy wanted to know more. "What happened to her?" she asked cautiously as not to anger him.

He winced as the antiseptic she rubbed on him stung his wound and he continued. "It was Pan, the ultimate source of all misfortune on this God-forsaken island. During one of our earliest skirmishes with the boy, she insisted on fighting him herself. She was new to swordplay andwas unsteady on her feet. She thought it would be amusing to balance on the edge of the deck as she fought him, but she lost her footing. I was standing nearby and caught her by the hand as she fell into the sea. Had I moved a second later, I would have lost her." He held out his hooked right hand and stared downward, reliving the moment in his mind. "I heard Pan behind me give a high-pitched whistle. Up shot the crocodile from the water. Before I could react, Pan severed my hand. I'll never forget my reflection in her eyes as she fell into the bastard's mouth, still grasping my lifeless hand."

"James, I'm so sorry. It was inconsiderate of me to wear that dress in front of you." She finished bandaging him up.

"No need to apologize. You didn't know."

Kathy looked away. "Oh, but I did know, or at least I strongly suspected. I only did it because I wanted you to think I was beautiful."

He caressed her cheek. "Don't turn your chestnut eyes away from me. Let me see them." She raised her gaze and looked directly into his eyes. "Kathy, darling," he said "You could wear sackcloth for all I care, and I would still love you."

Kathy was completely stunned. "You can't love me."

"Why not? Do you think me too frigid to know love? Perhaps I am, but I believe there is room in this old callus heart for one exception."

"No it's not that. These past few days, I have seen how gentle you can be, even if I am the only one who has benefited from your warmth."

"Then why is my love for you so impossible?"

"Because," she said, choking back a tear, "I have spent my entire life believing that this could never happen to me."

Hook had her sit down next to her on the bed. "You're in Neverland for Heaven's sake!" he laughed, "Anything is possible. What you have to determine is whether you love me."

All these new ideas were coming too fast for Kathy. She had to make herself stop and forget about where she would sleep and who Lydia was and everything else. She needed a whole mind and heart to make up her mind. At first, she considered it lust, not love. She wanted him more than anything else in the world. But she had lusted after men before, not many, but a few like Mr. Darling. But this felt different. Was it love? She could not tell. She had never experienced it before and could not diagnose it. All she knew was that she did not only want him for a night. She wanted to be with him always.

Finally she said, "I think I do love you."

"Well, there is only one way to be sure," and with that he smothered her fears with a deep kiss. Kathy had never been properly kissed before, not by such a fine specimen of a man.

"I know I love you," she said.

He pulled her hair away from her ear and whispered into it, "Then spend tonight with me."


	8. Chapter 8

Kathy sat silently next to Hook. He anxiously awaited her answer. After a minute she said, "It's only noon, can't I have the rest of the day to think about it?"

Hook was disappointed, but tried not to show it. "Of course you may!" he said.

They heard a knock from below them. Hook rolled his eyes. "You can come in now, Smee."

Smee popped up through the floor. "I've prepared the food, sir. Should I bring it up?"

"No," said Hook, standing. "I will be eating down by the water."

"James," said Kathy, "You're not strong enough."

"Of course I am. Smee, help me down."

They managed to guide Hook downstairs without him falling. He looked winded and pale but was perfectly fine otherwise. Smee laid out a cloth on a flat area of rock for a picnic and Kathy and Hook sat down. They began to eat and Smee took his cue to disappear.

The first few minutes of their meal were in awkward silence. Then Hook spoke, "You know, Kathy, you have told me nothing about your family."

"Well, there isn't much to say," she said as she tried to remember them. It felt like a century since she was home last. "There was just me and my parents."

"No siblings?"

"No," she shook her head. "Well," she said after a second. "I did have a brother once, but he died soon after he was born. I was so young, I can hardly remember."

"Oh, um, I'm so sorry. You must miss your family terribly." He tried to sound compassionate, but it was in no way easy. It was not a skill that came naturally to him.

"Yes, I suppose I do. To be perfectly frank, I've hardly thought of them this entire time."

"Ah yes," he said. "One of Neverland's many side effects, I'm afraid."

She began to feel uncomfortable and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. "Not to change the subject, but do you have the feeling that we are being watched?"

Hook stopped as he was about to place a slice of meat into his mouth. He narrowed his eyes. "Yes, now that you mention it." He reached for the pistol at his waist and laid it on the table.

Suddenly, there was a splash off to their left, and they both turned. All he saw were ripples from the angle he was sitting, but Kathy managed to catch a glimpse of a grey tail dart below the surface of the dark water.

"Did you see it, Kathy?"

"It was nothing, just a tail. It must have been a dolphin or something like it."

He picked up the pistol and cocked it. "There are no dolphins in Neverland's waters." They sat poised for it to resurface.

A glint of silver scales could be seen near the surface by the iron gate. Hook was quick to act and pulled the trigger. At first, Kathy thought that he had missed. But then she saw it float to the top.

She had never seen such a creature. It, or rather she, lay on its back in the water like a pre-Raphaelite painting. Her hands were webbed and floated in the water amidst a black mess of hair. Without the tail, Kathy would never have guessed what she was. She thought they would be more beautiful.

"It's a mermaid, isn't it?" she asked as they walked closer to it.

"Yes. Not quite what you expected, is it?"

"Not really. The story books certainly have it wrong."

Hook shrugged. "Not entirely," he said. "They're still beguiling little imps."

The current began to carry the body out of the cave into the open sea. Kathy's brow furrowed. "If the mermaids are spying on us for Peter, won't they notice she was shot and tell him?"

He shook his head. "The natives also have firearms, and we are not very far from their hunting grounds. Mermaids are a common sport for them."

Smee, who had heard the gunshot, came rushing in. "What happened, Captain?"

"Nothing, Mister Smee. Just a meddlesome mermaid. Go back to whatever it was you were doing."

"Yes, Captain."

"I still think we should be more careful," Kathy said as they walked back to their food.

"Well, naturally," he replied. "I'm afraid we will have to confine ourselves to the higher floors of the castle from now on."

They spent the rest of their meal in silence until Smee came with "dessert," which was really just biscuits.

"Have you thought about my proposition, Kathy?" Hook asked.

She blushed. Their conversation that morning was all she could think about. "Yes, I have."

"Well?" he seemed very anxious.

"Since it looks like we'll be trapped here together for the foreseeable future, I thought it would be better if we took a more permanent approach to things, but of course that's not possible in our situation." She was afraid Hook would dislike the idea. He seemed like the kind of man who feared nothing, save commitment. But on the contrary, he seemed relieved.

"What is it with you and impossibility? Why would marriage be impossible?" She was surprised how easily he could say the word "marriage."

"Well, I don't see a priest anywhere, do you? Unless ordination is another one of Smee's bizarre qualifications."

"No, but as captain of my ship, I can perform the ceremony."

Kathy chuckled. She had always wondered if that was true. "Yes, but you have no ship now."

"Of course I do!" He pointed to the rowboat that was still tied up by the large rock. He walked over to the boat and Smee took his cue to help him in. Once in the boat, Hook held out his hand to her. "I assure you it is perfectly legal, in most countries."

Kathy did not want to make a rash decision, but she did not want to deprive herself of something she had always wanted but thought impossible. She tried to think of one good reason not to marry him. Well, for one, she had only known him a few days. But if she loved him and knew she could be happy with him, why should that matter? It was as if they had known each other for years. She reached for his hand.

"Smee," Hook said. "You will act as witness."

"Yes, Captain," he said, jumping up and down.

"I know you like these sort of things, but don't get too excited, Smee."

"Yes Captain."

Hook was about to begin when Kathy noticed something. "James, we don't have any rings, do we?"

His face dropped. "Damn!" He thought for a second. "Smee! Go get that box upstairs. I believe it is still under bed. QUICKLY! We haven't got all day!"

Smee sprinted upstairs. Kathy hated the suspense. Luckily, he returned a short time later completely out of breath and carrying a plain wooden box.

"It was the last of the plunder from a small schooner we captured years ago, before Neverland," Hook explained. "I kept the best pieces for myself and hid them. I intended to retrieve them later, but fortunately for us, I never did. Any rings, Smee?"

Smee rummaged through the box until he found a few gold rings. "Here we are," he said as he handed them to Hook.

Hook scrutinized them. "Most of these are far too large. Wait!" He held out a thin gold band. Its centerpiece was a sizable oval emerald, surrounded with a ring of small diamonds. He looked down at Kathy's long, slender fingers. "Yes, this one will do." He handed one of the larger and more ornate rings that looked to be his size to Kathy and dumped the rest back into the box.

"Now, I admit I do not know the proper rhetoric for this sort of thing so do forgive me if it sounds a bit awkward." He cleared his throat. "Well, Katherine Linton, do you agree to love, honor, and obey me, etcetera, etcetera, you know what I mean, as long as we both shall live?"

"I do."

"And do I, Captain James Hook, agree to love you and all that I just said? Yes, of course I do. So, that's it then. I guess now we exchange the rings."

This was much easier for Kathy to do since she had both her hands. Hook struggled but managed it one handed without scratching her.

"And now, I may kiss the bride." And indeed he did.

"I would carry you up the stairs, my dear, like a proper husband, but I do not think I could in my weakened state."

She held his hook in her hands. "You'd probably impale me anyway if you tried," she giggled.

He smiled down at her. "Too true, love." He offered her his arm.

They left the boat together and began to ascend the stairs. He looked down at his left hand and laughed. "You know," he said. "I was always angry at Pan for cutting off my dominant right hand. But now, I daresay I'm rather glad it wasn't the left."


	9. Chapter 9

When Kathy awoke the next morning, she kept her eyes shut. She wanted to stay in the dream she had been having. At least, she assumed it was a dream for it was all too perfect. Then she felt the arm around her waist.

"Good morning," said Hook's voice next to her.

She opened her eyes to find him laying next to her on the small bed. "Oh, thank God!" she said and held him tighter around her.

He laughed. "Why, what is it?"

"I'm just relieved that I didn't imagine everything that happened yesterday -- and last night."

"Oh," he said as he played with her tangled hair. "I thought that I had dreamt it all too." He sat up and stretched, picking up the leather harness for his hook and a fresh set of clothes from under the bed.

Kathy took the harness from him. "Here, let me put it on you." She slipped it on his stump and buckled it in the back. "It's sort of like bridling a horse, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it is, in a way."

They both stood up and finished dressing. Then he took her in his arms. "What shall we do today, Mrs. Hook?"

She snorted at the sound of her new title. "I have no idea. We're stranded in a deserted castle. What is there to do that we haven't already done?"

He thought for a moment. "Look under the bed," he said.

She knelt down and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. There were no windows in the room so it was dark to begin with, but below the bed visibility was even worse. She saw the wooden box Smee had brought down the day before and a sewing kit. Behind these were extra sets of men's clothing. _Too bad there aren't any women's clothes_ she thought. A rummage through the fabric exposed a pair of dueling swords. Kathy took them out and stood up. "Did you mean these?"

Hook took one of the swords. "Ever tried your hand at fencing, my dear?" He gestured for her to descend the stairs.

"Not really. For a woman, that sort of thing was frowned upon in polite society."

"Yes, I suppose it would be."

They stood in the center of the ransacked room. Smee sat at the far side drinking out of a flask. "Mister Smee," Hook mumbled, "Go prepare something for breakfast."

"Yes, captain." He saluted and left the room.

"There may soon come a time when you will have to defend yourself with a sword," Hook explained to her. "And it's high time I gave you private lessons."

They stood several paces apart, weapons raised. "Now all I want you to do is try and block my advances."

Kathy smirked. "Be gentle, will you?"

"Of course, milady." He bowed low and returned her sly smile. "Besides, the swords are quite dull after all these months in storage," he said as he fingered the blade.

He lunged forward, much slower than he would in a real duel. Kathy instinctually parried, albeit clumsily.

"Well done, you're still alive, but Pan won't be so easy on you."

Their lessons continued for half an hour. They only covered basic defensive moves, but Kathy's arms and legs were too exhausted to go on. Even Hook was beginning to look haggard. She tried to block but her body gave up and she tripped on the hem of her dress, falling forward onto him. He quickly moved his sword but lost his balance in the process. With a dull thud, they fell together onto the hard wooden floorboards, laughing. Hook flipped them over so Kathy was pinned between him and the ground.

"Tomorrow I'll teach you offense," he said between kisses.

They were too busy with their amorous intentions to notice the footsteps coming up the stairs. He was attempting to remove her dress without tearing it with his hook when Smee opened the door .

"I have your breakfast," he said. He stopped in the doorway, realizing he had interrupted again.

"Damn it, Smee, knock on the door!"

Without a word, Smee hastily laid the food on one of the broken tables and was about to run for the door.

"No, Smee, you might as well stay," said Hook as he stood up and straightened his shirt. "The mood has been irrevocably fouled." He helped Kathy up and gave her an apologetic roll of the eyes. She tried not to look disappointed.

They sat down to eat. "James, there aren't any women's clothes in the castle, are there?"

"Regrettably, no." He thought for a moment. "Smee will have to adapt some of my spare clothes. I hope wearing men's clothes is not too uncomfortable for you."

"I would prefer not to, but I would probably fence better without a skirt."

"True." He nodded and told Smee to bring down the clothes and other supplies from above. A minute later, he had the room set up for alteration.

After she and Hook were finished eating, Kathy stood in the center of the room to be measured. She waited for Smee, arms outstretched. A few minutes later, he had finished the measuring and had begun sewing.

Kathy sat back down next to Hook and placed her head on his right shoulder. Closing her eyes, she breathed in his strange, filthy scent. "James, this is all just a dream, isn't it?"

He picked up his flask and took a swig of rum. "How do you mean?"

"Well, sometimes I feel like I've imagined this all, as if I'll awake one morning to find that it was all a dream."

After a minute of watching Smee sewing his clumsy stitches, Hook answered. "That is every man's dilemma regarding truth. He can never be certain of reality."

"You've read too much Descartes."

"Perhaps I have, it was required reading at Eton."

"Well, if this is all in my head, promise me you will still be there when I wake up."

"Alright, but if this is a dream, what am I to do in the meantime?"

She scooted closer and put his hooked arm around her. "For now, just hold me and keep me from waking up."

* * *

The next several weeks passed without incident, until Kathy noticed something odd. She had not bled since coming to Neverland, and its implications were beginning to worry her. At first she dismissed it as another one of Neverland's quirks, just as it was impossible to grow any older. In any case, she knew she had to tell her husband.

That day, she found Hook staring out a small window in the castle turret. It was how he spent most of his days, plotting his return to power when the sky would darken once again. Since his supposed "death," the weather had turned unnaturally sunny. Peter had never had such a strong influence over the climate.

"James, may I interrupt?"

"Of course, love." He turned around and absentmindedly caressed her cheek.

"Is it possible to become with child while in Neverland?"

Kathy regretted telling him after seeing his troubled expression. She knew he would hate having a child. "No, I don't believe so," he said finally in a reassuring tone, more to put himself at ease than Kathy. "Why do you ask? Have you reason to believe you are?"

She briefly explained her predicament. Again, he told her it was nothing to worry about.

"But how can you be so sure?" She was still not completely convinced.

"Well, Lydia--" he paused, "Lydia never had her monthly, how do you say, monthly courses while in Neverland. It does not follow the logic, or lack there of, of the place for a child to grow. You've had no other symptoms, have you?"

"No."

"Then I am certain it is nothing to worry about."

They returned to gazing out cloudless sky and its mocking cheerfulness. Suddenly, Hook became tense and clenched his fists on the window sill. She saw a flash of scarlet in his eyes and was alarmed that something had angered him so. "What did you see?" she asked slowly.

"Did you not see it fly past?" he growled.

"No, I did not." He continued to stare out, eyes narrowed. "James, don't scare me like this. _What did you see_?"

"A pixie, if my eyes did not deceive me."

"Surely, it did not see us." They were not ready for another battle with Peter.

"Oh, it did; it sped off much too fast for it not too have seen something. Pan will know of our whereabouts soon enough."


End file.
